Safety device for fuel systems



July 24, 1928. 1,677,970

J. T. JANETTE SAFETY DEVICE FOR FUEL SYSTEMS Filed Feb. 6, 1926 2 ii fl ,2? M J I '5 supplied with either gravity tanks, vacuum burner leaks or becomes broken, then all 'P P t0 the burner, 0 fromanyone vide an improved safety I l outlet with means whereby the outletwillI' I be automatically closed when thezdi'scharge; exceeds a predetermined amount or rate; to

trolled'outlet valve whichwill'be in normallyf raised position, but which will move to closing position, under predetermined conditions,

let under excessive demand; and to provide Patented July 24, 1928. i i

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEQY, I i I 30311 Marmara, or cnrcaeo, rumors. I

Application filed. February 6, i926. Serial No. 86,487.

Liquid. fuel combustion systems, or oil burning systems, such as are more or less commonly used for heating houses, buildings or for other similar purposes are usually in this invention;

he figure is a sectional elevation of a tanks or auxiliarytanks into which fuel is pumped before it is delivered to the burner. The oil is carried from such tank to the burner through the supply pipe. If an 10 ordinary gravity tank is used, which tank may be filled by hand or else have the oil pumped'into the same, and if the supply i. pipe becomes broken, all of the oilin the tank is liable to be discharged onto the fioo r 1 of the basement or room in which the burner is located. I If a vacuum tank or auxiliary supply tank is used, into which the oil is pumped or forced for a storage tank by automatidmeans, and the-supply pipe to the burner. The fuel is pumped from the-tank 5 intothe tank 6 by any suitable pump such electric motor 8. he fuel is drawnthrough an intake'piple 'pipe 10. T e'motor' 8 isoontrolled'by a switch 11 which is actuated by a float .12 in the usual manner so asto start the motor when the. oil in the tank reaches a' predetermined low level and-to stop the motor when the oil in thetank reaches av predetermined high level. 1

of'the oil in the" storage tank is apt-to be pumped into the burner room. In. either event, there is not only loss of oil but a consequent liability of damage on account 25 of fire,.if the oil in the basement or burner room becomes ignited.

Y The present invention relates to means whereby, if there is a broken or leaky supply oran ,excessive demand I I tanks .or any similarflmely' be of any suitable type asfor instance s. at idiskfwith a facing of leather or other [closed andwiIl remain closed until opened E mtablefi 'materiaL This valve isco'nnected by manualmeans. --;,.by.. means of-a.valvelstem 17 with --afloat -.The object'sof this invention are to prodevice for'liquid fuel or oil burning" systems .to-provide means for I preventing the discharge'bf an, excessivej 22 which is secured to the flange or coupling amount of oilor other similarmaterial from $114. suitable means may be provided '13 which leads to the burner (not shown).

which is secured to. the bottom of jthe tank I and which has a valve seat 15 at the top.

I of such I tank, the outlet from'the tank will become a tanker receptacle; toprovide a-diSchargeE "c e d; sho n,

provi e a -collar 23 on the rod 19 provide a tank or the like with a float eon- -handle 24 which promote them of the' :tank e.

to provide a float operated closure for tank's which will keep the outlet open during nor- 'mal' operation, but which will close the outtioned that the float will have suflicient -is filled, to hold the valve off its seatfi:

' such other advantages. and improvements as long as the liquid passes out through will be described more f ullyhereinafter.

The tank 6 has an outlet or supply pipe;

' .18 which has an upwardly extending rod 19.

ings 20 ai1d 21 which'are carried by a bracket l'iwhichiis adapted lat-Obey g g d by l-Wire or upw lfdly'through 1i.

.In the accompanying drawings illustratsupply tank or system showing one form of locatedv within the building or near the I as shown as 7, this ump being driven by an I 9 and discharged through the This pipe engages with a; flange or fitting 14.

The valve 16'which coactswith the" seat'15 ffor raislng the valve after it has moved to position but in the arrangement During: the normal operation offth e device, the float-and valve 16 .will'remain in n raised position, these'parts being so propor- 10o buoyancy in the liquid with which the tank :As. he T I r'pipe 13 at a normal rate and the" pump oper 4 ates to keep the tank 6 filled to its normal level, the valve will remain opened. The

tank discharge valve 16 is held in a position sufficiently close to its seat that it will be drawn down onto its seat when the flow exceeds a predetermined rate. Such excess flow, as hereinbefore suggested, may occur through the leaking or breaking of the pipe 13 or may occur from any cause which permits a' higher rate of flow than that for which the valve is set. If the pump continued 'in' operation after the discharge "valve is closed, the tank would be gradually filled to its normal level, but the float and valvewould remain in lowered position with. the outlet closed, so that no more fluid would .be discharged from the tank. Of course,

when the llquid in the tank reaches its uppermost position, the motor will be stop ed y its automatic control mechanism. W en the outlet valve 16 is closed, no more fuel will be discharged from the tank and the ports will remain in such osition until the outlet valve is again rais manually, asby means of the wire handle 24. Thereupon, the oil would be permitted to flow from the tank 'again in the normal manner and the valve c a1; ed without lowering the level of the liqmd in thetank 6 beyond its normal operating levels. In order to prevent such an occurrence, the position of the valve 16 as shown herein with respect to the valve seat 15 may be regulated or adjusted so that the valve and float will be drawndown to closed position by any predetermined amount of execs flow through the outlet pipe. In other words, if the valve 16 is raised but a slight distance abov'e' the outlet-opening, a

I 1- comparatively slight excess discharge will 'draw the valve and float down" to closed "'position. However, if'the Valve lfi'is raised a greater distance off from the seamenreater excess'flowwill be required worm-3 1t and its float down, but b regulating this distance, the stoppage of -t e outlet may be.

regulated in accordance with the flow instead of'depending' upon the loweringof the level of the oil to such a point that the float will descend by gravity, as above described.v

- However, it will also benoted that the-closing action of the valvejis also'dependent upon the buoyancy of the float, and it is assumed that for the above operations, the

float will be of suitable proportions with respect to the valve, which under ordinary conditions would mean that the float and attached parts, when in raised position, will be in a substantially balanced position, or

such that the float merely holds the valve raised.

With this description, it will be seen that I provide means for protecting various types of fuel burning systems or means whereby 7 systems or tanks may be protected against undue or excessive discharge beyond a predetermined. rate, and, it is apparent that various changes may be made in order to adapt the invention to difl'erent conditions.

Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the exact arrangement shown and described,

exce t as specified in thefollowing claims,

in w ich I claim:

1. In a fuel supply system, the combination of a receptacle having-a discharge outlet, and a float controlled valve for said outlet, the arrangement being such that the valve will normally be held in. raised position but will be closed when the liquid is discharged at a predetermined rate of flow.

2. The combination of a-tank, a discharge pipe for said tank, a. valve for controlling the flow through said discharge pi e, a float connected with said valve and a apted to hold it in normally praised position, and

manually operative means for opening the valve, the arrangement being such that the valve will be closed when the liquid in the tank falls to a predetermined level or in discharged from the tank at a predetermined rate and will remain closed until manually opened.

3. In an apparatus of the character set forth, the combination of a tank having a discharge outlet, a closure for said outlet, and means for supporting the closure ad- 'jacent to the outlet, said means being adapted to'hold the closure in open position to permit a predetermined discharge through the outlet and adapted to permit the olesure to move to closing position when the rate of discharge exceeds the predetermined rate.

4. An oil tank for supplying fuel to oil burners, having a discharge outlet, a valve for closing said outlet, afloat for holding said valve in normally raised-position when the tank is filled, and means for holding the valve in predetermined position with respect to the outlet whereby the valve will-permit a normal discharge through the outlet but will be drawn to closing position by an excessive discharge.

5'. In an apparatus of the character set forth, the combination with a. receptacle for holding fluids, having a discharge ipe, of a valve for closing said discharge, a. oat for holding said valve in substantially balanced y, the valve will permit a normal rate of let, which means is normally inoperative but OW from the tank but will be drawn to which is adapted to close the outlet when 10 closed position when the discharge exceeds liquid is discharged from the chamber at a gosition with respect to the discharge whereing an outlet and means for closing the out- H 5 such normal rate. rate in excess of the normal discharge.

6. In an apgaratns of the characterset I forth, the com ination of'a receptacle hav- JOHN T. JANET' IE. 

